Quote:
Originally posted by Percipere'Chan:
Shigmy- What's a 'republic'?
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Well, I'm sure you have a dictionary but I'll play along.
Republic -
1. A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president.
2. A nation that has such a political order.
3. A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
4. A nation that has such a political order.
ref =
www.dictionary.com
Hmmm... sounds like us. Looks like you got me.
I'd like you to look at some other definitions first though.
Democracy -
1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
Hmmm.... That kinda sounds like us too huh? Weird.
Look, I'm not gonna spend all day arguing whether the United States government is more of a Republic or more of a Democracy, but saying that our government is not a Democracy at all is just wrong. Yes, every state is guaranteed a republican government (before you start quoting the Constitution to me). That doesn't mean that the government is not a democracy. Laws are created by elected representatives (see Democracy def 1). These representatives vote on bills. These bills pass if they get a majority vote (see democracy def 4). That makes the Government a democracy. Majority rule.
I used those definitions because they actually prove both points. No, it's not a pure democracy. A pure democracy would fall apart. But it is a form of democracy at the LEAST. I don't really want to spend too much time on this one(unless you insist) because I believe that both sides are right in some capacity or another.